These homemade chocolate chips are easy to make from scratch. I’m sharing three methods including a cocoa-butter version that works for baking plus sugar-free and keto options.

Yes, I’m talking about delightful little morsels of chocolaty goodness—without without relying on refined sugar. These homemade sugar-free chocolate chips satisfy chocolate cravings while keeping sugar low, and will save you a ton of money over buying specialty chocolate chips online or at the store.

homemade chocolate chips in a bowl on a white table

Not only that, but I've got not just one, but three ways for you to make your own homemade chocolatey morsels, and one of them is frugal beyond belief.

There's simply no need to spend a fortune on healthy chocolate chips when, with just a few basic ingredients you can have a stash of delicious sugar-free chocolate chips for using in your favorite recipes or enjoyed straight out of the bag.

Why Make Homemade Chocolate Chips?

Control Over Ingredients: You want to avoid dairy or sugar or artificial additives that are in store-bought chocolate chips.

Save Money: Let's face it—specialty chocolate chips are not cheap. I've seen them cost $7 for only 9 ounces (that's $13 a pound!) or even more!

Last Minute Substitute: If you've run out of chips when baking, save yourself a trip to the store and make these instead.

homemade chocolate chips ingredients in a glass bowl

Which Version of Chocolate Chips Should You Use?

For baking (cookies, muffins, pancakes): use the cocoa butter version
For no-bake desserts: the coconut oil version works great
For the fastest option: use the 2-ingredient shortcut

3 Ways to Make Homemade Chocolate Chips

Cocoa Butter Homemade Chocolate Chips (Best for Baking)

The main recipe that we use almost all the time for homemade chocolate chips uses cocoa butter, cocoa, sweeteners, and a few more special ingredients. They taste amazing. In fact, I've been told by a friend that this is the best chocolate she's ever had and others have commented about how good it is.

They hold up better in baked goods if you freeze them first, but either way, they work much better than the coconut oil version that's popular on many healthy food blogs.

There are times, however, when you might want to try another version depending on what you have on hand and what you want to use them for.

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chips for No Bake Treats

This version is very simple and works well for snacking or no-bake desserts. However, coconut oil chocolate chips melt quickly in the oven (see the image below), so they aren’t ideal for baking cookies or muffins. For baked recipes, the cocoa butter version above works much better.

homemade chocolate chip cookies with messy melted chocolate chips on baking stone. — Coconut oil chocolate chips melt when baked, so they’re best used for no-bake treats. For cookies or muffins, use the cocoa butter version.

2 Ingredient Homemade Chocolate Chips

Another super easy recipe using just unsweetened chocolate and a little bit of sweetener. Perfect for all your homemade keto baked goods.

Ingredients & Equipment

Here is some information on some of the ingredients for all 3 versions. For the amounts, scroll down to the Recipe Card.

Coconut Oil: (or any solid healthy fat. I really like Nutiva brand.)
Cocoa Butter
Cocoa: Use carob (I prefer toasted) for AIP. The Rodele Cocoa I link to is our favorite; you'll definitely want to stock up when they have it at Costco. They also have an organic version on Amazon. If you use carob, you'll want to reduce the sweetener some because carob has some inherent sweetness.
Sweetener: Both liquid and granulated work fine, but you should powder granulated sweetener for these recipes. Options include stevia extract (for AIP), xylitol, and erythritol, or coconut sugar. You can even use maple syrup or honey. Anything goes!
Vanilla Extract
If using stevia extract, these measuring spoons are a must-have.
Molds: You'll need chocolate chip molds unless you're making chunks.

How To Use Homemade Chocolate Chips

These homemade chocolate chips can be used in any recipe that calls for regular chocolate chips.

Use these:

in chocolate chip cookies
as a topping or layered in with frosting for on cake or cupcakes
as an ice cream mix-in or topper
in or on puddings like keto chocolate chia pudding
mixed in or on top of regular or no-bake brownies
in a trail mix or crunchy granola
in edible chocolate chip cookie dough
in muffins
in pancakes
melted to make a dark chocolate bark, a chocolate drizzle on cookies (as seen on these no-bake coconut cookies), or other chocolate treats

homemade chocolate chips in a metal scoop

Recipe Notes and Substitutions

Pretty much any healthy sweetener can be used for these recipes. Low-carb sweetener options include organic erythritol, allulose, stevia extract, or xylitol to taste. Use honey, maple syrup, or sucanat or coconut sugar. If you use a liquid sweetener, note that honey and maple syrup are sweeter, so you'll want to use a quarter to one-third less.
For AIP (or to avoid the stimulating effect of cocoa), use carob instead of cocoa. If you do use carob, you'll want to reduce the sweetener by about 1/4 to 1/3, since carob is sweeter.

Molds for Making Homemade Chocolate Chips

Most of the time I make Homemade Chocolate Chunks instead of chips, since it's sooo easy. Here's what they look like.

However, if you want to make cute Homemade Chips like those in the main photos of this post, get these molds.

I Recommend

Chocolate Chip Mold

These are perfect for making cookies and muffins.

Check Price on Amazon

Delicious Flavor Variations

These homemade low-carb chocolate chips are so delicious as is, but you can make your own sugar-free flavored chips too. Here are some options:

Mint – Add a few drops of peppermint oil or extract
Coconut – Add a few drops of coconut extract
Spicy – Toss in a few drops of Tabasco or chili powder or chili flakes as desired
Peanut Butter – Add some peanut butter powder to the chips
Berry – Add in some berry powder or ground freeze-dried berries
Almond – Add a few drops of almond extract
Orange – Add a few drops of orange extract
Milk Chocolate – Add about 1 tablespoon of powdered milk to the melted chocolate, stirring gently

How to Store

You can store these easy homemade chocolate chips in several ways, depending on what version you make. The coconut oil version will need to be stored in the fridge or freeze if your home is over 73°F. The other two versions can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer.

Ingredients

Homemade Chocolate Chips Main Recipe

1 cup cocoa butter (about 6 2/3 ounces)
1 cup cocoa
1/4 cup powdered sweetener or alternative
1/16 teaspoon stevia extract powder or alternative equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract (optional but recommended)
1/2 tablespoon granulated instant coffee (optional but recommended)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional but highly recommended)

Coconut Oil Version for No Bake Recipes

1 cup coconut oil (or any solid healthy fat)
1 cup cocoa
3 tablespoons sweetener
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional but recommended)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional but recommended)

Shortcut 2 Ingredient Method

2 ounces quality unsweetened dark chocolate
2 tablespoons powdered sweetener

Instructions

Main Recipe

Melt cocoa butter over very low heat in a medium pan.
Transfer cocoa butter to a medium bowl. Let cool for a minute or two.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well. I've used my Bamix immersion blender with great success. You could also put the mixture in a blender, but clean up will be messier.
Blend with an immersion blender. if you have one, to insure that the mixture is blended well.
Make chunks or chips as desired. See Recipe Notes for more details.

Coconut Oil Version

Melt coconut oil over a very low heat. Remove from heat.
Stir in cocoa, sweetener, and vanilla. (If you heat over too high of a heat or don't remove from the heat, the coconut oil will separate from the cocoa when cooling. You can still eat it, but it won't be as smooth.)
Make chips or chunks as desired. More information is in the Recipe Notes.

Shortcut 2 Ingredient Version

Melt unsweetened chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water or over very low heat.
Add sweetener and blend to combine. An immersion blender works well for this.
Make chips or chunks as desired. See Recipe Notes for detailed instructions

Notes

Let the chocolate cool slightly before adding extracts to prevent seizing.
This is a forgiving recipe—most sweeteners work.
For low-carb: use erythritol, allulose, stevia, or xylitol.
For AIP: use honey, maple syrup, sucanat, or coconut sugar.
If using liquid sweeteners, use ¼–⅓ less.

To Make Chocolate Chunks

Pour into an 8×8 pan (or desired thickness), let set, then break and chop into chunks.

To Make Chocolate Chips

Pour into molds or pipe onto parchment. Let set at room temperature or chill.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in fridge or freezer.
2-ingredient version can be stored at room temperature.
Coconut oil version must be chilled if your home is above 73°F.
Cocoa butter version is best chilled but can be kept at room temp if cool.

Nutrition

Nutrition values are for Version 1.